New safety measures will be implemented at I-81 work zones

June 19, 2013

MARTINSBURG - Local legislators say they have been given assurances from the governor's office that additional safety measures will be implemented at construction zones on Interstate 81 in light of growing public disdain over the frequency of accidents within work zones and the still incomplete project to widen the highway.

Delegate Larry Faircloth, R-Berkeley, said he had an unscheduled meeting with members of the governor's staff Tuesday to address the public's concerns. Senator John Unger, D-Berkeley, also said he has spoken personally with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and has requested to be briefed by West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Paul A. Mattox Jr. later this week on how the completion of the construction project can be expedited.

"The governor is very concerned and has personally met today with Secretary Mattox to determine what steps can be taken to ensure motorists' safety in the construction zone area. Secretary Mattox will be meeting with his engineers and will report back to our office with his findings," Becky Neal, executive aide to the governor, said in correspondence sent to both Faircloth and Unger Tuesday.

Neal said there may be simple measures that can be taken, such as adding a "spotter" at entrance ramps onto I-81, adding more law enforcement during peak hours and determining if any obstructions are hindering motorists from seeing oncoming traffic.

"The governor is committed to ensuring highway safety as much as possible and asks that we remind motorists to drive with extreme caution when entering a work zone and obey traffic warnings and speed limits. Again, he takes this very seriously and requests DOH work expeditiously in this matter," Neal's correspondence reads.

Faircloth said that he was assured that additional measures would be implemented "immediately" following his meeting with the governor's office.

One of the more recent major accidents in the work zone involved a single-vehicle wreck near the 23-mile marker of I-81 South that resulted in the death of Nathan Tavarus Elps III, 29, of Miami, Fla., and led to southbound lanes being shut down for about eight hours.

"Despite the fact that they are 300 miles away, they need to be made aware that taxpayer dollars should be the only thing paying for the highway project, not people's lives," Faircloth said. "I told them that it needs to be dealt with now. There's wrecks on there every day, and it's getting worse. Despite the fact that they are saying the project is going to be done by Labor Day, that doesn't account for delays or anything. We have a problem now."

Faircloth said the governor's office has contacted the state Division of Highways to request that a "quick solution" be implemented, such as having personnel at ramps directing traffic at peak hours, moving stop sign placement or creating easier access to the interstate in merge areas.

Unger said in a phone interview Tuesday that he has been speaking with state officials since last fall regarding the ongoing construction project.

"I've personally talked to the governor. He's very concerned about this, so I do see some things happening from my inquiries and some suggestions I've made they've done. Not all of them, but I can see things popping up. They said they would do it, so I plan on checking on them," Unger said.

Unger said the project has gone on far too long and the public is "fed up" with delays.

"I've asked that the secretary of transportation - he also serves as the commissioner of highways - to give me a briefing later this week on their plan on completion and on how they are going to expedite this project, because I just told them that the community's patience is worn out," Unger said.

Officials have said that the project is expected to be completed by mid-August at the earliest if there are no delays. The construction zone begins near the 18-mile marker and extends beyond Exit 23 in the Marlowe and Falling Waters areas. The work zone has been the site of frequent traffic accidents in recent weeks.

"They've tried to open up some of the lanes and changed some of the signs, but still - on those sections that are quite dangerous - it almost feels like I'm going through the tunnel of death as I'm going through," Unger said. "I've communicated very, very clearly to them, and they said they would do everything they could to try to expedite it."

Unger said he's been frustrated with how long the construction project has taken and voiced his concerns to the governor's office prior to last winter and this spring. He said the project's length has been "ridiculous" and feels that if the construction company contracted to do the work didn't have enough people to complete it in a timely fashion, it shouldn't have been awarded the contract.

Last year, he added, he was told the reason why the project has taken so long is because of a stormwater drainage system that had to be built with the installation of new jersey wall barriers on the interstate.

"I told them they are going to have to make this a top priority to get this thing expedited and finished. I know the governor is very concerned about it, because I've expressed it to him," Unger said.

Anything can be done to prevent further loss of life or traffic accidents will be worth it, Faircloth said.

"I don't know that the additional measures will save 100 percent of lives, but any progress we make until the project is completed, any life we can save on 81, is a life worth saving," Faircloth said.